the investment Expo in Kasaka. Looking is Province Permanent Secretary
,Elias Kamanga
Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary, Elias Kamanga has directed the Provincial Planning Authority to ensure that land developers adhere to the Zambian town and country planning act to bring sanity in land development.
Mr Kamanga said the enforcement of the act will protect the province from unplanned and uncoordinated land development.
He noted that illegal land allocation, development and expansions will compromise the status of the city.
The Permanent Secretary said this when the Lusaka Provincial Planning Authority Board called on him at the Provincial offices today.
Mr. Kamanga added that government will not compromise on illegality and will ensure that anyone found wanting faces the wrath of the Law.
The Provincial Permanent Secretary has also urged the authority to ensure the undeveloped land in the other districts in the province such as Chirundu, Chongwe, and Rufunsa, should be developed in line with the regulations stipulated in the town and country planning act as a basis for future management of development.
And the Permanent Secretary said he has engaged the traditional leaders on land for expansion in Chirundu District and location of administration offices in Rufunsa district.
Speaking earlier, Provincial Planning Authority Board Chairperson, Nason Mumba has highlighted illegal land allocation, encroachments and boundary wrangles between councils and the traditional leaderships in some districts in the province.
Meanwhile, Lundazi District Council Secretary Mwansa Mumba has pledged the local authority’s continued commitment to always conducting land administration in a transparent and professional manner.
Mr. Mwansa says land administration is done in line with land act chapter 184 of the laws of Zambia and that the council has never at any time administered land without following the procedure.
The CS’s remarks come in a wake following accusation by some cross section of the public insinuating that the council does not follow the procedure when administering land which he says it is false, baseless and ill founded.
This is according to a statement availed to Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lundazi today.
Mr. Mwansa disclosed that the council has always advertised land it intended to offer to the general public and applications have been open to all applicants who were subjected for interviews.
The Principal Officer further says allocation of plots is also done on merit in line with the given criteria at that particular time, adding that the council recently cancelled twenty- five plots which were advertised to the general public because the people offered failed to accept the offer.
“Lusaka Land developers should adhere to law – PS”
Yes PS, that is correct and as it should be. But not when the “higher authorities interfere. You are a party cadre yourself and you know what I mean. The guy at the apex can overrule sensible decisions when he arrives at the airport and addresses his cadres, the so called grassroots but essentially they are party cadres, you know the guys whom they buy beer for whenever he passes through an airport.